Image courtesy Paul Barrett
CUALA 1-14
ARDEE ST MARY’S 2-10
An injury time free from Luke Keating proved pivotal as Cuala edged Ardee St Mary’s by the slimmest of margins in their AIB Leinster Club Senior Football Championship final at Croke Park on Saturday evening.
Cuala looked well set for victory as they enjoyed a six-point lead entering the final quarter but the concession of two goals in as many minutes led to a frantic finish that culminated in Keating’s ice-cool finish following a foul on Michael Fitzsimons.
The Dalkey outfit dominated the opening twenty minutes of the first-half with Conor O’Brien’s 15th minute goal helping prompt a healthy 1-7 to 0-3 interval lead.
However, goals by influential substitute Ryan Rooney and Seán Callaghan saw St Mary’s draw level by the 50th minute following a black card received by Cuala’s Eoin Kennedy four minutes previously.
It was Cuala that made the brighter opening, inspired as they were by Michael Fitzsimons with the evergreen full-back joining the attack to telling effect as he kicked the opening score in the 4th minute.
That lead was doubled soon after as Niall O’Callaghan kicked a cracking effort from d with Cuala’s defence coping well with some prolonged periods of possession from their opponents.
The Dublin champions could well have put greater distance between the sides but Con O’Callaghan crashed a shot off Tiernan Markey’s crossbar in the 10th minute, albeit gaining some consolation as he converted a free from a foul in the build-up.
His second point arrived in an instant following a Luke Keating pass and while the Ardee defence lived a precarious existence at times, they were eventually punished at the end of the first quarter as Con O’Callaghan and Conor O’Brien combined for the latter to fire clinically beyond Markey from ten yards.
Points arrived via Con O’Callaghan (free) and Keating as Cuala pushed nine points clear by the 21st minute with Ardee’s lack of confidence betrayed by a series of wides as the half progressed.
However, they finally opened their account a minute later through a free from Ciarán Keenan and they were further buoyed as they added another couple of scores from placed balls through Jonathan Commins and Markey.
In contrast, Cuala were struggling in their decision making as they spurned a number of presentable chances but an Eoin Kennedy point in added time pushed them seven points to the good by half-time.
The contest resumed with O’Brien curling an excellent score within thirty seconds of the restart but St Mary’s struck back immediately with their first score from play by Commins.
Neither side could establish any degree of ascendancy as Commins and Tadgh McDonnell added to the Ardee account but Cuala continued to keep them at arm’s length through points at the opposite end from Charlie McMorrow and Con O’Callaghan.
St Mary’s were indebted to Markey in the 40th minute as he denied Keating with a brave block from close range and they gained momentum from that intervention through successive points from Keenan and Dáire McConnon.
An error from Cuala goalkeeper Ryan Scollard allowed Rooney to pounce in the 49th minute and a minute later, Scollard could not be faulted on this occasion as Callaghan angled a low shot into the bottom corner from eight yards.
A grandstand finish ensued with Rooney adding a brace of points to augment scores by Cal Doran and Keating (free) and it was the latter that sealed a famous victory for Cuala when converting a 62nd minute free.
Scorers – Cuala: C O’Brien 1-1; C O’Callaghan 0-4 (2f); L Keating 0-3 (2f); N O’Callaghan 0-2; M Fitzsimons, E Kennedy, C McMorrow, C Doran 0-1 apiece. Ardee St Mary’s: R Rooney 1-2; C Keenan 0-3 (3f); S Callaghan 1-0; J Commins 0-2 (1f); T Markey (f), T McDonnell, D McConnon 0-1 apiece.
Cuala: R Scollard; D Conroy, M Fitzsimons, E O’Callaghan; E Kennedy, C McMorrow, D O’Dowd; P Ó Cofaigh Byrne, P Duffy; C Dunne, C O’Brien, C Doran; L Keating, C O’Callaghan, N O’Callaghan. Subs: C Ó Giolláin for Dunne (38), M Conroy for D Conroy (43), C Groarke for O’Brien (44), S Mangan for O’Dowd (57).
Ardee St Mary’s: T Markey; K Moran, D McKenny, E Keenan; K Faulkner, T McDonnell, P McKenny; S Callaghan, RJ Callaghan; L Jackson, J Commins, S Matthews; C Keenan, D McConnon, T Jackson. Subs: R Rooney for Moran (43), R Carroll for Matthews (43), C Gillespie for Commins (53), R Leavy for RJ Callaghan (58).
Referee: Seamus Mulhare (Laois).
